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When Eskom plunges us into load-shedding, it is often because it is diverting power to pump water uphill for its storage systems, or filling up the tanks at the 20 diesel generators it uses when its plant falls over.
In other words, we may not have enough storage. So why don’t we get more storage? Partly it is because the energy establishment is still wedded to always-on power — coal or gas or fossil fuels of one kind or the other. And partly because the alternative — batteries — are expensive.
But as expensive as constant load-shedding? Unlikely.
Independent energy analyst Clyde Mallinson tells Peter Bruce in this edition of Podcasts from the Edge that, starting tomorrow, South Africa could begin, at pace, to install up to 35,000MW of renewable storage by 2035 to completely solve our power problems.
Obviously in addition to ramping up solar and wind investment as well. While the government and business slow-talk their way through our crisis, the answer is right in from of us.
Why transition from coal to gas to renewables? It's a waste of time and money. Go for renewables. Gas is obsolete already…
Podcasts from the Edge is a production of TimesLIVE Podcasts.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
PODCAST: Gas is just so much hot air
When Eskom plunges us into load-shedding, it is often because it is diverting power to pump water uphill for its storage systems, or filling up the tanks at the 20 diesel generators it uses when its plant falls over.
In other words, we may not have enough storage. So why don’t we get more storage? Partly it is because the energy establishment is still wedded to always-on power — coal or gas or fossil fuels of one kind or the other. And partly because the alternative — batteries — are expensive.
But as expensive as constant load-shedding? Unlikely.
Independent energy analyst Clyde Mallinson tells Peter Bruce in this edition of Podcasts from the Edge that, starting tomorrow, South Africa could begin, at pace, to install up to 35,000MW of renewable storage by 2035 to completely solve our power problems.
Obviously in addition to ramping up solar and wind investment as well. While the government and business slow-talk their way through our crisis, the answer is right in from of us.
Why transition from coal to gas to renewables? It's a waste of time and money. Go for renewables. Gas is obsolete already…
Podcasts from the Edge is a production of TimesLIVE Podcasts.
Subscribe for free future episodes: iono.fm | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Player.fm
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.